Damping mechanism for music-boxes



(No Model.)

G. A. BRAGHHAUSEN.

DAMPING MECHANISM FOR MUSIC BOXES.

No. 538,035. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV A. BRAOHI-IAUSEN, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

DAMPING MECHANISM FOR MUSIC-BOXES.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,035, dated April23, 1895.

Application filed November 19, 1894. Serial No. 29,2 '7- (N0 model) Toon whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV A. BRAOH- HAU SEN, residing at Hoboken,Hudson county, State of New Jersey, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Damping Mechanism for Music-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to damping mechanism for music boxes, and is moreparticularly adapted to that character of music boxes wherein anote-plate or its equivalentis used with intermediate rotating devices,such as star-wheels for operating the music tongues, and said inventionconsists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed. Heretofore in the construction of music boxes ofthis character it has been customary, when independent dampers wereemployed, to mount each of said dampers separately in a kerf or slot ina suitable standard and to solder them therein. This method requiredgreat exactness in construction, since it was necessary that each kerfor slot in the standard and each damper should be in a certain positionwith relation to the star-Wheel or other rotary device which wasintended to operate it. I will be readily understood that the greatnicety required in mounting these dampers necessitated the employment ofskilled labor and the loss of much time, therefore rendering theirconstruction expensive.

The object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties foundheretofore in dampers of the character described and to produce a damperwherein special means as heretofore employed for mounting the dampersmay be dispensed with, thereby overcoming the necessity of employingskilled labor and greatly reducing the cost of their construction. Tothis endIwill describe several forms of dampers embodying my invention,reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof,wherein Figure 1 is a side view of sufficient number of parts of a musicbox to illustrate a single damper embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of sufficientnumber of parts of a music box to illustrate another form of singledamper embodying my invention. Fig.

4. is a top view of the same on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is aviewsimilar to those shown in Figs. land 30f a still further modification ofdamper embodying my invention. Figs. 6, 7, S and 9 are side views ofvarious forms of dampers adapted to damp a plurality of music tonguesand which are made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 10 is a detailperspective view of the form of damper illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicatecorresponding part-s in the various views, A designates a standard whichmay be of any suitable form, but is preferably of the character shown inthe drawings with regularly spaced transverse slits a therein. Extendinglongitudinally through the standard is a shaft 1), which shaft forms thebearing for star-wheels 0, each of which is of such width as to onlypartly fill one of the transverse slits a in the standard, as clearlyindicated in Figs. 2 and 4:- In each of the slits a and adjacent to thestar-wheel c therein contained is a damper d which, together with thestar-wheel, just fills the space.

The dampers are supported or partly supported by the shaft b of thestar-wheels in any suitable manner, as by projecting the shaft 2)through a hole 00 (see Fig. 10) in the damper, as shown in Figs. 1, 3,5, 8 and 9 or by providing a slottherein so that the damper may straddlethe shaft, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The damper may be prevented fromdisplacement, that is to say, from being rotated with the star-wheelduring the rotation of the latter, by any suitable means; several formsbeing shown in the drawings.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 I have shown a form of damper wherein alug e is struck up from the body portion thereof and projected at rightangles from one side thereof into a longitudinal slit f in the standard(see Figs. 2 and 4) or into one of the arms g thereof.

Other forms are represented in Figs. 6, 7 and 9. Fig.6 shows a form ofdamper wherein the damper body is partly supported by and prevented fromdisplacement or rotation by the arms 71. thereof, abutting against thefoot of the standard A, as shown at 'i, so that movement of the damperin either direction is prevented. Fig. 7 illustrates the same generalconstruction of damper as that shown in Fig. 6; a single arm h, however,being employed in this case to prevent the rotation of the damper in onedirection, this in some cases being sufficient, since the star-wheel,when in use, rotates in but one direction. In Fig. 9 is illustratedaform of damper wherein the base j thereof engages in a slit in the baseof the standard A and prevents rotation of the damper in eitherdirection and at the same time forms an additional support therefor.

I have illustrated several different forms of damper embodying myinvention, but wish to have it distinctly understood that my inventionis in no way limited to the construction of the damper employed, sincevarious forms of dampers may be used and the operation thereof greatlyvaried without in any way doparting from the spirit of my invention.With this understanding I will proceed to briefly describe theconstruction and operation of the dampers proper shown in theaccompanying drawings which are for the purpose of illustrating thevarious applications to which my invention can be put.

In Fig. 1 the damper dis shown provided with an arm is having a camZwhich projects into the path of the teeth m of the star-wheel c andwhich in its state of rest presses by its spring pressure against amusic tongue n. The star-wheel 0 being rotated in the direction of thearrow by a music plate 0 or other analogous device, causes one of theteeth of the star-wheel to come into engagement with the cam Z of thedamper and force the finger 19 thereof out of contact with the musictongue and to hold it in such position until the preceding tooth of thestar-wheel has vibrated the music tongue when a further rotation of thestar-wheel will cause the first mentioned tooth thereof to leave thecamZ and allow the damper to again come in contact with the musictongue, thus alternately vibrating and damping the music tongue.

The damper illustrated in Fig. 3 is similar to that above described,except that the damping finger p is projected to the opposite side ofthe music tongue at, from which extends the arm is with its cam Z, sothat a pressure upon the cam Z will cause the fingerp of the damper tobe brought into contact with the music tongue by positive pressure.

Fig. 5 illustrates another form of damper wherein the finger p isbrought into engagement by positive pressure through a tooth m of thestar-wheel engaging a cam Z thereon and twisting the spring shank qthereof until the finger p is brought into engagement with the musictongue or to damp the same; the spring of the shank q causing the damperto assume its normal position when the tooth which causes the damping,passes the cam Z of the damper.

In Figs. 6,7 and 9 I have shown a single damper capable of damping twomusic tongues at the same time. The construction and operation of thesedampers are somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that ineach case the dampers illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 9 are provided withtwo damping fingers 19, two arms 70, and two cams Z on each of the armsit. It is thought that with this explanation, and the purpose beingunderstood, the construction and operation will be readily understoodand that further description thereof is unnecessary.

The construction and operation of the damper shown in Fig. 8 is similarto that illustrated in Fig. 5, except that a damping finger p, cam Z,and shank q extend from opposite sides of the damperbody and to oppositesides of the star wheel to dampen two music tongues a.

While I have, in describing each of the dampers illustrated, referred toa single star-wheel,

a single damper, &c., it should be understood I that a star-wheel,damper, 850., is provided for each music tongue or set of music tonguesas indicated in Figs. 2 and 6 respectively.

It will be observed that by my invention the dampers automatically spacethemselves, so to speak, by the adjacent star-wheel on one side and thepart which forms the means for separating the star-wheels on the otherside, so that the parts may be readily put together without thenecessity of exercising the great care or the employment of specialmeans and skilled labor, as was heretofore found neces sary.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In damping mechanism for music boxes, the combination of a rotatingdevice having projections thereon for causing the vibration of a musictongue and an independent damper supported by the shaft which forms thesupport for said rotating device, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

2. In damping mechanism for music boxes, the combination of a rotatingdevice having projections thereon for causing the vibration of a musictongue, an independent damper supported by the shaft which forms thesupport for said rotating device and means for preventing thedisplacement of said damper, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

3. In damping mechanism for music boxes, the combination of a series ofstar-wheels, means interposed between the star-wheels for spacing thesame, an independent damper interposed between each of the star-wheelsand the means for separating the same, and a projection extending fromthe damper and adapted to reach contact with the means for separatingthe star-wheels to prevent displacement of the damper, substantially asdescribed.

4. In damping mechanism for music boxes, the combination of a series ofstar-wheels, a shaft for supporting said star-wheels, means for spacingthe same, and an independent damper interposed between each of thestarwheels and the means for separating the same, said damper beingsupported by the shaft which forms the support for the star-wheels,substantially as described.

5. In damping mechanism for music boxes, the combination of a series ofstar-wheels, a shaft for supporting said star-wheels, means interposedbetween the star-wheels for spacing the same, an independent damperinterposed between each of the star-wheels and the means for separatingthe same, said dampers being supported by the shaft which forms thesupport for the star-wheels and means for preventing the displacement ofthe damper, substantially as described.

6. In damping mechanism for musicboxes,

the combination of a series of star-wheels, a shaft for supporting saidstar-wheels, means interposed between the star-Wheels for spacing thesame, an independent damper interposed between each of the star-wheelsand the means for separating the same, said dampers being supported bythe shaft which forms the support for the star-wheels and alugprojecting from each of the dampers and engaging with the means forseparating the starwheels, whereby the dampers are prevented fromdisplacement, substantially as described.

GUSTAV A. BRACHHAUSEN. Vitnesses:

HARRY M. TURK, CHARLES E. SMITH.

